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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475667">The Rescue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sermocinare/pseuds/Sermocinare'>Sermocinare</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars Sequel Trilogy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Co-Workers to Friends to Lovers, Dopheld is a saint, F/M, Hux joined the Resistance, Millie-centric, Post-TRoS, Rose has complicated feelings about Hux, Rose has complicated feelings about a lot of things actually, lots of inner monologue, some TROS fix-it in the background worldbuilding</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:06:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,447</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475667</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sermocinare/pseuds/Sermocinare</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Hux reveals that he used to have a cat, Rose goes on a mission to find it. Figuring out the cat's whereabouts is a lot easier than figuring out her feelings for Hux, though...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Armitage Hux/Rose Tico</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Rescue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the last few weeks, it had become a routine. After eating her own breakfast, Rose would put together a plate with some of the things he liked, a cup of tea for him and some caf for her, and balance all of that on a tray she carried with one hand, her pad tucked away under her arm so she had one hand free for opening the array of doors he was locked behind. He had never explicitly told her what he preferred to eat, but his face was easier to read than he would have liked, so it hadn’t been that much of a challenge to find out.</p>
<p>“Morning, Hux!”</p>
<p>Rose kept her greeting deliberately informal. At first it had been to annoy him, since losing his rank and status seemed to be more painful to him than the idea of being incarcerated for the rest of his life, but it seemed that he had gotten used to it.</p>
<p>“Good morning, Commander Tico.”</p>
<p>As usual, Hux looked as prim and proper in his overalls as he had in his General’s uniform. Rose wondered if he was even capable of relaxing, of falling out of the role he must have played for most of his life. </p>
<p>“Breakfast time,” she said cheerfully, putting the tray down on the worktable before sitting down and pulling her mug towards her. “Sorry, no Tarin tea today. You will have to make do with red leaf.”</p>
<p>Hux slid onto his chair: “I think I will manage. So, what is our task for today?”</p>
<p>“Our X-Wings managed to take some more pictures of the Sith Destroyer that keeps popping up around Felucia and Vanquor. There must be some way to do real damage. We’ve been poking at all the usual weak spots, but they seem to have found a way to reinforce them. I want to know how.”</p>
<p>Hux put his tea down, a slight frown creasing his forehead, but he nodded: “I’ll see if I can find anything. What about the ion cannons on the Y-Wings?”</p>
<p>Rose tapped through the schematics on her pad: “That project is ongoing, of course, but the Destroyer has priority. If we can’t do something about it soon, we’ll lose those planets.”</p>
<p>“Mhm. And we don’t want that.” Hux took a bite of his bread roll, washing it down with some tea: “To work, then.”</p>
<p>Both of them worked in silence, the rectangle of light that fell into Hux’s cell through its one window moving across the wooden floor as the sun made its way across the sky. Although calling it a cell was seeing things a bit more glum than necessary, seeing how it was more like a small but comfortable room, the door of which just happened to be locked at all times. </p>
<p>“You know that you don’t have to stay here,” Hux said, breaking the silence that had comfortably settled between them. “Most of my work, I can do alone, and if I need you I can always comm you.”</p>
<p>Rose looked up from the schematic she was studying and took the interruption as a welcome moment to stretch her back: “I know. You’ve told me a few times. But I like working in here. With you. It’s easier to focus when there isn’t someone coming in every half hour because they need this or want to know that, or nag about how their thrusters are still not on top speed.”</p>
<p>“Hm.” The corner of Hux’s mouth twitched into what could almost be seen as a smile. “I guess that if you want to spend some time in silence, I’m your man.”</p>
<p>Rose chuckled, then shrugged her shoulders: “Also, I think you can use some company now and then. Even if it’s just someone sitting across from you, working on the same problems.”</p>
<p>Hux rotated his head, working out a kink in his neck, then looked back at Rose: “I was never a people person. Which doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate your company, Commander Tico,” he added hastily. </p>
<p>Rose smiled. For a moment there, Hux had actually seemed a bit flustered, and that made her curious: “But you must have had someone to spend your time with. No one can live without any friends at all, even...”</p>
<p>“Even me?”</p>
<p>Now it was on Rose to be flustered. She hadn’t meant to say that, not in that way, and yes, Hux was a prickly, standoffish and at times difficult person, but there were just as many things about him Rose had come to like.</p>
<p>Hux made a little noise that may or may not have been an aborted chuckle, but then he shook his head: “No. No friends. Well, at least not human ones.” He sighed, and there was an uncharacteristic softness in his eyes: “I had a cat.”</p>
<p>Now that was something Rose would never have expected. Hux, keeping a cat? And on a Star Destroyer, no less? Rose loved cats, loved all animals, but cats were demanding, they were unpredictable, scratched the furniture and shed hair everywhere, so the uptight former General having one of them around was a surprise, to put it mildly.</p>
<p>“You kept a cat on a spaceship? I wouldn’t have thought that was allowed.”</p>
<p>The corner of Hux’s mouth twitched into an almost impish smile: “It wasn’t, but after all, I am – was – the General, so who is going to report me? And to whom?”</p>
<p>Rose couldn’t help but giggle, but then, she put on a mock stern face: “Really now. Abusing your station like that! What kind of superior officer does that?”</p>
<p>“One that wants a cat?”</p>
<p>Now, Rose really couldn’t hold back her laughter any more, and when she calmed down, she saw that Hux was grinning, too. Had she ever seen him even so much as properly smile? Probably not. She would definitely have remembered, seeing how bright that smile was. </p>
<p>But then, it vanished like the sun behind a bank of clouds: “I shouldn’t have, though. A Star Destroyer is no place for a cat.” Hux’s voice grew quiet, and he looked down at the wooden surface of the table they were sitting at, picking at it with one fingernail: “Especially not during a war.”</p>
<p>“Oh, Hux, I’m sorry,” Rose said, and she reached out to cover his hand with hers, but then pulled back at the last moment and let it rest on the table. “Are you sure it’s...”</p>
<p>“She. Her name was Millicent. And I don’t know for certain, but let’s not fool ourselves. Even though I left her behind on the Finalizer with one of my most trusted officers, it would be a miracle if she had survived, since I’m quite sure the Finalizer didn’t.”</p>
<p>Had the Finalizer been destroyed? Rose didn’t know. There had been so much destruction at Exegol, and so many other battles with the remnants of the Final Order after that it was impossible to remember them all. Sure, Rose was one of the leaders of the Engineering team, which also did salvage, but to her, all of those enemy ships had been nothing but damage and salvage lists. She never stopped to think about who had been on board of them. She couldn’t, or it would have been impossible to sleep at night. </p>
<p>“What was she like? If you want to talk about it.” </p>
<p>“She was a sweet girl,” Hux replied, his eyes turning soft, faraway. “An orange tabby. She would greet me when I came back to my rooms, winding around my boots and meowing until I’d given her enough attention for now. She would often sit on my desk when I was working. I probably should have stopped her from doing that, since she made a game out of knocking everything to the floor, but I couldn’t deny her anything. Not when she would curl up on my lap, purring like an engine after a particularly stressful day.” </p>
<p>Hux looked at Rose and gave her a smile: “People think cats see humans as nothing more than a source of food, that they don’t care, but that’s wrong. I swear, she felt when I was having a bad day, and made sure to comfort me. Sometimes, she would even sleep on my bed. Probably also something I should have dissuaded her from, but like I said, she had me wrapped around her delicate paw.”</p>
<p>“She sounds like a wonderful friend,” Rose said, and Hux nodded. </p>
<p>Then, Hux took a deep breath, and shook his head as if to dislodge the memory: “But that is the past. No sense in dwelling on it.” His face took on the familiar half-frown, and he put his pad back in front of him: “We have work to do.”</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>They had worked in silence for another two hours before Rose said goodbye for the day and made her way to the command room of the base for the bi-weekly meeting. </p>
<p>While Kaydel talked about reinforcements to various planets that had been having trouble with both raiders and Last Order holdovers, Rose found her thoughts wandering back to her conversation with Hux. He seemed to have genuinely loved Millicent, and there was a sense of heartbreak when he had talked about how she had, like so many others, become a victim of the war. If she was honest with herself, Rose didn’t quite know how to feel about that. On the one hand, it had been refreshing to see glimpses of the person behind the front Hux usually put up. On the other, it somehow made it harder to forget what he had done, how much death and destruction he had brought to the galaxy. It<br/>
had been so much easier to see him as a heartless monster. </p>
<p>Although she hadn’t been seeing him like that for a while now. There even were things she had started to like about Hux. His love for engineering, or his work ethic, which was admirable. Maybe, if he hadn’t been born into the First Order, he might have invented something that would have helped the galaxy instead of tearing it apart. </p>
<p>Maybe it was that thought that had her going through the lists of destroyed and captured First Order ships while reclining on her bunk that evening, searching for the name of Hux’s former command ship. Ah, there it was. The Finalizer. </p>
<p>Rose pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, then tapped the name to bring up all available information on the ship. </p>
<p>Interesting. The Finalizer hadn’t been anywhere near Exegol when the Sith fleet went down. She was one of the ships they had found later, when they had gone back to Crait to look for the Supremacy. Snoke’s flying base of operations, as well as some Star Destroyers that had arrived with it, were still floating in space, having taken heavy damage through Vice Admiral Holdo’s now legendary act of bravery and sacrifice. It looked as if the Finalizer had been one of them.</p>
<p>There hadn’t been much of a battle, seeing how most of the ships weren’t even intact enough to maneuver, least of all fire their weapons. Also, it seemed that Ben had used the damaged Destroyers as a source of spare parts to repair the Supremacy as best he could before finally giving up and abandoning her.</p>
<p>The Finalizer had been captured, along with the skeleton crew that had been left to look after her. </p>
<p>Rose furrowed he brow. No mention of where the First Order prisoners had been brought to. No mention of a cat, either. Not that she had expected there to be. It seemed that she would have to do some more digging.</p>
<p>She pushed the button on her comlink, and a few seconds later, a familiar voice said: “Hey Rose. What can I do for you?”</p>
<p>“Hey Finn. Say, is it possible to find out which base the crew of a particular captured ship was sent to?”</p>
<p>“Sure. Are you looking for someone? If you have their name, I can find them for you.”</p>
<p>Rose grimaced. She should probably have asked Hux for the name of that trusted officer. Then again, it wasn’t as if she had thought she would need it. </p>
<p>“I’ll send it to you tomorrow, okay?”</p>
<p>“Sure thing, Rose. After all, that’s part of my job.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Finn.”</p>
<p>She severed the connection and put the pad on the nightstand next to her bunk. Thinking about it, the chances of finding out anything were extremely slim. Who knew if the person Hux had entrusted his beloved cat to had still been on the Finalizer when the Resistance had captured the ship. Maybe they had been transferred, and then died on one of the hundreds of ships that had been destroyed. They might have the names of the survivors, yes, but no one knew the names of the dead, except for any friends or family that might have survived. She didn’t envy Finn his job. When it had been decided that the Resistance would try to find the families of the children the First Order had taken, Finn had resigned his position of General to oversee the program, together with Lando and Jannah. From what she had heard from them, it was slow, arduous work, and more often than not, it turned out that no remaining family could be found. Some of the Stormtroopers couldn’t even remember the names they had been given by their families.  </p>
<p>The next day, Rose once again spent her morning working together with Hux. After all, she needed to find out the name of that officer. Hopefully, she could get it out of him without Hux suspecting what she was planning. She didn’t want to give him hope only for it to be dashed, though Rose had a suspicion that Hux was used to that kind of thing. </p>
<p>“You know, I was thinking about what you said yesterday. About having no friends in the First Order.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” Hux looked up from his work, raising his eyebrows.</p>
<p>“It just stuck with me,” Rose said, shrugging almost apologetically, “and after mulling it over, I’m not sure that you’re right.”</p>
<p>Hux frowned: “Excuse me, but I do think I know best what my life was like.”</p>
<p>“I didn’t mean it that way!” Rose held up her hands: “I was just thinking, maybe you had them and simply didn’t notice because you’re not used to it? Having people who care about you. I mean, take that officer you left Millicent with, what was his name again?”</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Mitaka.”</p>
<p>“Yes. Mitaka. He agreed to take care of your cat, which honestly isn’t something someone does purely out of a sense of duty. He cared about you. Maybe he just couldn’t show it, since you were his superior, but I’m certain that he did.”</p>
<p>Hux made a noncommittal noise, his frown still in place. Obviously, he didn’t see it the same way Rose did, which made her wonder what she was to him. Not that she had an answer to the question posed the other way around.</p>
<p>After she had left Hux’s cell, Rose shot a message to Finn, telling him who to look for. Maybe Mitaka has been one of those who had stayed behind with the marooned ships.</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>It took two days, then her comm beeped with an incoming call from Finn.</p>
<p>“Hey! How did the search go? Did you find anything?”</p>
<p>“We did,” Finn said, showing that broad grin of his. “Your Lieutenant Mitaka is alive, and currently in the camp on Juhnos. Anything in particular you want from him?”</p>
<p>Rose grimaced, and pushed a strand of black hair behind her ear: “I need to talk to him about something. And before you ask, it’s, um, kind of private.”</p>
<p>Finn pulled a surprised face: “What kind of private business do you have with a First Order officer?” Then, he waved his hand: “Forget it. You said private, and I’m not going to pry. I learned my lesson about that with Rey.”</p>
<p>Rose chuckled, shaking her head. That had been quite the scene. She had never heard Rey yell like that, and she doubted anyone had. </p>
<p>“Anyway,” Finn went on, “I’ll give you the comm designation of our contact there. He can set you up for a chat with Mitaka.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, Finn. I owe you one.”</p>
<p>“Forget it. Just doing my job here.”</p>
<p>Finn terminated the call, and a few seconds later the call signal for her contact pinged into her messages. Time for the next phase of Mission Millicent. </p>
<p>–</p>
<p>Getting permission to talk to Mitaka was easier than Rose had thought. Then again, there were some definite benefits to holding the rank of a Commander, no matter how much the Resistance prided itself in its egalitarian approach to command structures. Rose suspected that being good friends with Finn also helped. </p>
<p>The face on Rose’s comm screen looked younger than she had expected it to be. In fact, it looked almost frighteningly young, and also much too innocent for all of this. Which was probably exactly what a lot of people thought when they saw her for the first time. War made you grow up fast, though, and she suspected that behind those big brown eyes lay a soul that had aged faster than it should have. </p>
<p>It didn’t help that Mitaka looked quite nervous, his eyes constantly darting off to the side. He probably thought he was in some kind of grave trouble, because why else would a Resistance commander contact him specifically? </p>
<p>Time to soothe the poor man’s nerves.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Mitaka, I’m happy to see you. My name is Commander Rose Tico. I’m with the Resistance’s Engineering Corps.”</p>
<p>“Um, pleased to meet you, Sir. Ma’am. I mean Commander.”</p>
<p>Rose tried not to laugh at the poor Lieutenant’s predicament as to how to address her. She had no idea how things were handled in the First Order, and Mitaka probably had no idea how to address a higher ranking Resistance officer, either.</p>
<p>“Whatever you choose will be all right, Lieutenant. Don’t worry about it. Anyway, I have a question for you which might sound a bit strange?”</p>
<p>Mitaka gave a small shrug, then patted at his hair, probably in an effort to make it look more presentable. He looked like he hadn’t had a haircut in weeks, and probably lived in constant subconscious fear that some officer or other would throw him in a no longer existing brig for it.</p>
<p>“Please, go ahead, Commander.”</p>
<p>Rose took a deep breath. Hopefully, she wasn’t going around poking an angry Rathar if she mentioned Hux’s name to Mitaka. She had made the experience that a lot of former First Order personnel was less than happy about Hux having survived, some because he had been a spy for the Resistance, others because of what he had done as a member of the First Order. </p>
<p>“I work with your former General, Hux, and...”</p>
<p>Mitaka’s face lit up, and he immediately interrupted her: “The General is alive? Oh, thank Force. When I heard he had been spying for and then escaped to the Resistance, I was sure he would end up in front of a firing squad the moment he set foot on one of your bases.” Mitaka’s eyes got an almost pleading look: “He’s not a bad person, you know. He’s done terrible things, but...”</p>
<p>Rose held up her hand, stopping the flow of Mitaka’s words: “Whoa. Don’t worry, we don’t intend to execute him. We don’t do that kind of thing.” Which was something Rose was glad about, because as much as she hated the First Order for what they had done to her home and the galaxy, the thought of people being lined up and shot made her stomach queasy. </p>
<p>Mitaka breathed a sigh of relief, and a tentative smile stole onto his face, which didn’t help with the whole looking way too young thing.</p>
<p>Rose couldn’t help but smile back: “Hux told me about how he had a cat. Millicent. And that he left her in your care when he left the Finalizer?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Mitaka nodded, then bit his lower lip and looked away. </p>
<p>“She didn’t make it?” Rose’s heart sank. Yes, she hadn’t really held much hope, but having even that bit dashed made her feel disappointed.</p>
<p>“No, no, she did make it off the Finalizer with me. After all, I promised to take care of her. I hid her in my duffel bag, and we managed to get through the scanners all right. But then...” Mitaka took a breath, then let it out with a sigh: “The moment I opened the bag once we were here in the camp, she jumped out and ran away. I haven’t been able to find her since, and I looked everywhere, I promise! But this place is huge, and there are so many trees and bushes and buildings and places she could hide, and I don’t have any scanners and I can hardly go up to one of the guards and tell them hello, may I request a scan of the camp, I’m looking for General Hux’s cat.”</p>
<p>Rose had to laugh in spite of herself: “Yes, that probably wouldn’t have gone over well. They would have thought you’re a few fuses short of an engine.”</p>
<p>“Probably,” Mitaka said, grimacing.</p>
<p>“But you know who doesn’t even have to ask? A Resistance Commander.” Rose grinned: “Don’t worry. We’re going to find Hux’s kitty. Tico out.”</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>It had taken three days until she had gotten the green light for her flight to Juhnos and a small vessel she could use for her sojourn, but finally, Rose set down on the field that served as the camp’s space port. Grabbing her things, she headed towards the command station. </p>
<p>“Commander Rose Tico. Captain Inashi knows I’m coming.”</p>
<p>The guard who had stopped her at the perimeter quickly checked in with the Captain, then holstered his blaster: “Welcome. If you’d follow me, I’ll see you to the Captain’s office.”</p>
<p>Rose couldn’t help but notice the quizzical look the man had thrown at the cage she was carrying. Rose had padded the floor with a couple of towels so that the cat would be comfortable on their journey, and hopefully also feel enticed to enter the contraption. </p>
<p>The Captain greeted her with a firm handshake: “Commander. Welcome. I’m Captain Inashi. What can we help you with? Do you need intel about one of our camp’s inhabitants? Or from them?”</p>
<p>Rose shook her head: “No such thing. I’m looking for something.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” The Captain raised an eyebrow: “And what would that be?”</p>
<p>“An animal,” Rose said, hoping that Inashi wouldn’t find her request too strange. After all, the really strange parts were still to come.</p>
<p>“An animal? May I ask why? Is it dangerous? And how do you know it’s here?”</p>
<p>Rose put on her best winning smile: “Well, I followed a trail of clues, and it led here. And don’t worry, it’s not dangerous. It’s just a cat.”</p>
<p>Now the Captain did look at her as if she was just a little bit crazy: “You came all the way out here for a cat?”</p>
<p>“It belongs to...” no, she couldn’t tell them it belonged to Hux, they would never help her, she had to come up with something else, “...a friend.”</p>
<p>“Must be a good friend, if you go combing the galaxy for their cat.”</p>
<p>Rose tried not to blush. She had never really stopped to think about why she was doing this, and for Hux of all people. Inashi had a point there. Usually, she would only do this kind of thing for someone she really cared about. Of course she cared about Hux, they worked together and he was trying his best to atone for what he had done, but she had never seen him as a friend. Except, well, it was obvious that she did. </p>
<p>Time to change the subject.</p>
<p>“Anyway, I was thinking that maybe I could borrow a scanner? The wider the scan field the better, of course.”</p>
<p>Inashi grinned: “I can do you one better. We have a drone in the air that can do a quick scan of the whole area.”</p>
<p>“Oh, that’s great! Makes my search easier.” </p>
<p>“Thought so. Give me a minute, and we’ll have some pictures for you.”</p>
<p>It actually took less than a minute before Inashi beckoned her to step around to his side of the desk, showing her the results of the scan on the screen.</p>
<p>“Now, I know this looks really chaotic, but if I run a filter over the results...” he quickly tapped a few symbols on the screen, and most of the dots vanished, “we should have something a lot more precise.”</p>
<p>Rose studied the readout. There were still a lot of dots indicating the presence of life forms that fit the general parameters of “approximately cat-sized mammal”, but most of them were actually situated outside of the camp’s barriers, and since Millicent had escaped inside them…</p>
<p>“I’d say you should look over here first.” The Captain pointed at a particular area in the north-western corner of the camp. “Since none of my people have reported seeing a cat – and they would have, it tends to get boring around here so everything is news – it’s most likely staying hidden, and that area had a lot of bushes, as well as being something of a dump for all kinds of inorganic junk. Lots of places for a cat to hide.”</p>
<p>Rose smiled, feeling her heart fill with hope. Hux’s cat could still be alive. But it must be a very shy creature, to have been hiding out without being seen for so long. It would be hard to catch her. Unless, maybe, she had something to lure it out.</p>
<p>“Captain, do you happen to have any fish around? Or meat? Something that would lure the cat out? Also, I’d like to request the help of one of your charges. Dopheld Mitaka. He knows the cat, she probably trusts him.”</p>
<p>“You’re in luck. We have some dried fish in our food supplies.” Inashi laughed: “We’ve had that stuff since we set up here. No one actually wants to eat it, so I’ll be glad to get rid of at least some of it. And I’ll send for Mitaka.”</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>“According to the drone scanners, she’s most likely hiding somewhere in here.”</p>
<p>Rose looked at her handheld scanner, and yes, there were life signs running around in the rather large pile of assorted junk, as well as in the bushes and undergrowth.</p>
<p>“Poor Millicent!” Mitaka took a peek at the scanner. “All alone and too scared to come out. At least she seemed to have some food to hunt in there. I just hope nothing happened to her. She’s a good cat.”</p>
<p>Rose nodded. Mitaka was an unusual person, at least for a former First Order officer. Of course, the First Order were as varied a group as the Resistance, but Mitaka seemed to possess a caring, soft heart which seemed so out of place in an organization that had trained hundreds of thousands of children to have no compassion for anyone that wasn’t First Order. </p>
<p>Rose put the cage down and opened the door at the front: “Let’s see if we can lure her out of there. She trusts you, do you think it would help if you called to her? I’d step away so that I don’t spook her.”</p>
<p>“I can try. Give me some of the fish, I’m sure a treat will help.”</p>
<p>Rose handed Mitaka the small bag of dried fish, then retreated so that the cat wouldn’t be scared by the presence of a stranger. </p>
<p>Mitaka crouched down, rustling the foil bag a bit before taking out some fish and holding it out towards the junk pile: “Pspspsps! Millie! Are you in there? Come out, sweetie! It’s your friend Dopheld! Remember me? I used to feed you, and play with you, too.”</p>
<p>It took a minute, but then there was a rustling from within the junk pile. </p>
<p>“Pspspsps! Come on, girl, I have treats!”</p>
<p>Was that a soft meow? Rose’s heart beat faster. Had they really found the cat?</p>
<p>A moment later, a small face peeked out from a narrow tunnel formed by a discarded crate and a slightly rusty metal sheet. </p>
<p>Another soft meow, which sounded almost like a question.</p>
<p>“Yes! It’s me! Come, Millie!”</p>
<p>Mitaka ripped the piece of fish in two halves and threw one of them in the direction of the cat, who retreated for a few seconds before coming back, this time poking her whole head out of the tunnel. Ears twitching, she seemed to scan her surroundings for possible threats, then hurried out of her hiding place to devour the piece of fish.</p>
<p>“Oh, baby, there you are! I was so worried!”</p>
<p>Mitaka’s face had lit up like the sun, and he threw the other piece towards Millicent, this time a bit closer to where he was crouching. </p>
<p>Having gotten a taste of the fish, Millicent advanced to wolf down the other piece. Ever from further away, Rose could see that the cat was thin, her fur having lost its shine. Still, she was a beautiful one, with her tabby-striped ginger fur and green eyes. </p>
<p>“Come on, girl, have some more.”</p>
<p>Holding out a whole fish, Mitaka made some beckoning noises, and the cat slowly advanced towards him, her posture still telegraphing a weariness that had to have come about by having to survive in this strange and frightening place. Although, if her owner was anything to go by, she probably had never been the most trusting of cats. </p>
<p>After having devoured two more of the small fish, Millicent finally let her guard drop and approached Mitaka, rubbing her cheek against the back of his hand before slinking around his legs. </p>
<p>“Oh, Millie, I am so glad to see you! I thought I’d lost you. And you know who else will be happy to see you? Your daddy!”</p>
<p>Rose had to chuckle. Hearing Hux referred to as a cat’s daddy was so strange it was comical. </p>
<p>Mitaka got up and started to move in the dirction of the cage, luring Millicent on with fish and finally throwing two of them inside the cage. The contraption had the cat looking weary again, as if she knew that she couldn’t trust it, but hunger won out and she stepped inside to eat. </p>
<p>With a quick movement, Mitaka closed the door behind her, which caused the cat to turn around. </p>
<p>“I’m sorry, Millie. But you want to see him again, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Rose approached the man and the cage, and had to laugh again. When Mitaka turned to look at her, she smiled at him: “She looks almost like she is judging you.”</p>
<p>Mitaka chuckled: “Oh, she is. She definitely is. She’s a lot like Hux.”</p>
<p>Rose crouched down next to the cage: “Hey Millicent. I’m Rose.” </p>
<p>She stuck out a finger in the direction of the mesh, but Millicent flattened her ears against her head and gave a soft growl of warning.</p>
<p>“Okay, okay,” Rose replied, holding up her hands, “I’m not touching you. And don’t worry, I get it. You poor thing must have been through a lot.”</p>
<p>“She’s lost a lot of weight,” Mitaka said, nodding in agreement. Handing Rose the bag of fish, he went on: “She’ll need some water after eating these. I’m sure she will calm down once she realizes you don’t want to hurt her.”</p>
<p>Rose smiled, shaking her head fondly: “Just like Hux.”</p>
<p>Mitaka gave her a quizzical look, but seemed to decide that he wouldn’t prod Rose for details. </p>
<p>“Please tell him I’m sorry for letting her escape.”</p>
<p>Rose chuckled: “I don’t think that will be necessary. He’ll be overjoyed to see her again. He’s missed her a lot.”</p>
<p>“And I’m really happy to hear he’s still alive. He’s my friend, after all.” Mitaka replied, then grimaced: “Maybe don’t tell him that last bit. Fraternization and such.”</p>
<p>“Mitaka, the First Order has been dissolved. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>For a moment there, Mitaka looked almost sad, but then he nodded: “Yes. But it’s hard to think of him as anything other than the General.”</p>
<p>“Well, maybe you should start trying. You won’t be here forever, and who knows, you might want to give him a visit once everything is sorted out. I think he’d be glad to know that he’s got a friend, and always had.”</p>
<p>Mitaka sighed, then smiled tentatively: “I’ll try.”</p>
<p>“Thank you for helping me find her, and get her home.”</p>
<p>“You’re very welcome. And,” Mitaka scratched the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish, “if you find the time, tell me how they’re doing?”</p>
<p>“I will.” Rose picked up the cage, causing the cat inside to growl again. Then, she turned back to Mitaka: “You’re a good person. The galaxy can use people like you. Now more than ever.”</p>
<p>–</p>
<p>Half an hour into the trip, Millicent had finally ceased her wailing and settled down into the nest of towels Rose had provided her. The moment the spacecraft touched down, though, the cat started up again, making it clear that she was not happy about how she was being treated, not ceasing even after Rose had covered the cage with a blanket. </p>
<p>“Calm down, girl, I’m on your side!”</p>
<p>Rose tried to ignore the weird looks she was getting as she walked across the base, several people stopping in their tracks to stare at her. She was sure that she would have a lot of questions to answer at dinner tonight. Let them. Right now, all that mattered was to reunite the mewling cat with her owner. </p>
<p>Pressing her thumb on the security scanner, Rose let the door slide open and stepped inside. </p>
<p>Hux was sitting at his work table, looking up as he heard the swish of the door. He had just opened his mouth to greet her when the cat let out a loud wail again.</p>
<p>For a moment, Hux’s mouth stayed open, and he blinked at Rose as if he wasn’t sure he should believe his eyes. </p>
<p>Rose grinned, putting down the cage and removing the blanket: “I found her, Hux. I found your Millicent.”</p>
<p>She crouched down to open the door of the cage, and before it was even halfway open, the cat had squeezed through, running towards Hux, who was kneeling on the floor, arms outstretched: “Millie!”</p>
<p>The cat didn’t stop until she had practically flung herself into his arms, standing up on her hind legs, her front paws resting on Hux’s chest while she rubbed her face against his cheek with a trilling noise. Hux had placed his hands on her sides, his eyes closed as he returned the gesture, nuzzling into the fur of Millicent’s neck.</p>
<p>“Millie. Sweet, sweet Millie. I thought you were dead. I thought...”</p>
<p>His voice broke, and it was then that Rose noticed that the cat was licking Hux’s cheek. Licking away his tears. </p>
<p>Looking away, Rose picked at the corner of one of the towels that was sticking out of the cage, suddenly feeling like an intruder. She probably shouldn’t be seeing this, seeing Hux so vulnerable, all of his emotion written on his face as clear as day. He was such a closed down person, always so careful to hide his feelings. </p>
<p>Closing the door of the cage, Rose was just starting to get up when she heard Hux’s voice, still thick with emotion: “Thank you, Commander Tico. Thank you for bringing her back to me.” He swallowed, trying to bring his voice under control again: “I don’t know why you did it, but… thank you.”</p>
<p>Rose turned her head towards Hux again. He was wiping his cheeks with the back of his hand, trying to erase the traces of tears. Millicent was standing on his thighs, looking at her with her inscrutable green eyes while Hux stroked her back in long, soothing movements. </p>
<p>“I...”</p>
<p>Rose didn’t know what to tell him. That she had felt sorry for him? That his loneliness had tugged at her heart? That she wanted to see him smile? </p>
<p>“You’re welcome, Hux.”</p>
<p>The orange tabby hopped off Hux’s lap, trotting over to Rose. Putting her paws on Rose’s knees, Millicent stretched up to softly bump her head against the woman’s chin.</p>
<p>Hux smiled: “Millie says thank you, too. She likes you.”</p>
<p>“Didn’t sound like that when she was wailing away during the flight,” Rose said, happy to change the subject. </p>
<p>“Cats love their freedom. Being caged was very much against her taste,” Hux chuckled. </p>
<p>He got up from the floor, stepping in front of Rose and picking up the cat to hold her in his arms. Rose followed suit, and for a moment, they just stood in front of each other. </p>
<p>Rose reached out to scratch Millicent’s head: “She’s a good kitty. And very resourceful. She survived completely on her own for weeks.”</p>
<p>Hux stroked his thumb over the cat’s ribcage: “She is quite thin.” Then, he placed a kiss between her ears: “But don’t worry, Millie. From now on, food will be provided again for my queen.”</p>
<p>“Your queen?” Rose laughed.</p>
<p>“You don’t own cats. Cats own you.”</p>
<p>“Well, I’m looking forward to making the queen’s acquaintance,” Rose grinned, stroking Millicent’s flank. “Who knows, maybe she will accept me into her court.”</p>
<p>Hux smiled, a genuine, happy smile full of humor that lit up his whole face: “Bring her food and I have no doubt she will.”</p>
<p>“I shall,” Rose said, then took a deep breath: “I’ll leave you two alone. At least until I’ve found some food for Millie.”</p>
<p>Hux nodded. Then, he closed his eyes, leaning in until his forehead was touching hers. </p>
<p>Rose’s heart stopped for a second, then took up again, thumping so hard she was sure Hux could hear it, too, her face flushing with heat. What was he doing?</p>
<p>“Thank you, Rose” Hux whispered, “for caring. For being a friend.” Then, he pulled back, his gaze softer than Rose had ever seen: “For bringing light into my life again, and not just by giving me back my Millicent.”</p>
<p>Rose’s mind was reeling in confusion over what had just happened, but it seemed that her heart already knew the answer as she reached out, laying her hand on his elbow, her thumb giving it a gentle stroke as she smiled up at him. </p>
<p>“You’re not alone any more, Armitage. Millie and me, we’re going to take good care of you.”</p>
<p>Millicent purred, rubbing her head against Hux’s arm and Rose’s hand as if in blessing.</p>
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